Disappointing Products

Most products I put a lot of research into before buying so I don't end up disappointed however sometimes I make impulse buys that aren't always successful, most times I do end up pleasantly surprised but I thought I'd share my recent batch of disappointing products.

First up is a nude lipstick that sounded appealing but ended up being a dud, I picked up the Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Galactic Mauve a while ago and it looks like a beautiful nude shade but is actually a glittery mess. This just looks tacky on the lips and the worst part is that it smells awful, smells like playdoh which is made worse by the fact that it's right under your nose so you cannot get away from it. Epic Fail.

Another disappointed lip product is the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Luna, I actually love the rest of the shades in the line but this one was just a no go for me; it's a peachy nude but it's just not a good match for my skintone. This shade washes me out and makes me look like one of the walking dead, it was even more of a disappointment because I love formulation and the rest of the shades are beautiful and I was looking to add the perfect coral to the mix but was left disappointed.

Moving on to blush I have the L'oreal Nude Magique BB Blush which I picked up because it sounds like the perfect idea of a blush in liquid form that adapts to your skin but in reality it's a blotchy pink stain that you cannot blend and that is difficult to remove once it's on the skin. It says it's a universal rosy blush but this is far too bright for a natural rosy hue.

Next is the George at ASDA Creme Blush in Coral which I was expecting to be very similar to the MUA cream blushes but this just isn't as blendable and is just not a wearable shade. I thought this would be a sheer wash of coral but wearing this makes you look more like a clown than anything, I've still not found a way to make this work but I still live in hope that one day this might be that perfect creamy coral hue.

I was recently wanted to try out a green concealer as I have a lot of redness around my nose that I wanted to cancel out, I picked up the Natural Collection Green Corrector Stick which is a pale green shade that I figured would be easier to blend into the skin. This is a tad to powdery to work as a concealer around my nose because it creases within half an hour of application. I picked up the Gosh green concealer after this and it's much easier to work with even though it's a more vibrant shade of green.

I picked up a Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Paint in Rich Russet after hearing so many good reviews about it but I think my eyelids must be far too oily for this to stay on me because it doesn't even blend onto the lids without separating out. I've not tried any other shades to see if it's just this one shade because I have far too many cream eyeshadows to get through already.

I'm not much of a nail polish person because working in a laboratory I'm not allowed to have nail polish on but every so often there is a shade that makes me stop and put the effort in to paint my nails. One such shade was Barry M Gelly Nails in Papaya, this is a beautiful peachy orange shade that I loved wearing one weekend until I came to take it off and realised it had stained my nails a horrible yellow colour. It's a lovely colour but it's not worth wearing as my nails look horrible for weeks after.

Moving on to skincare I have the Soap & Glory No Clogs Allowed self heating mask, the idea of this is excellent but it's just not that great. I got this while it was on offer to use instead of the Sactuary offering but it was a waste of money because this just doesn't work for me, I can't seem to get it to turn blue and heat up properly like it's supposed to but it just will not work.

The second skin care item is something most bloggers rave about; Hydraluron. This just does nothing for me, I used this every day for six weeks but it just didn't improve my skin at all. Hydraluron isn't exactly cheap either which is the worst part about it, I spent £24 on a serum that does absolutely nothing for me. Not good.

I have one final product for this list and it's hair product for this list and it's the Umberto Giannini Root Boost Volume Spray For Big Hair which luckily I got at the reduced section in Boots but this is just a useless product, I spray this in my roots and they end up crispy and stick which ruined my hair and I had to wash it out.

Back 2 Basics

I recently found my skin having a major meltdown on me, it was breaking out whilst also being flaky and dry. I've been trying out a lot of different products in the past few weeks and I figured it would be best to take my skincare back to the basics. These are the few products I always go back to when my skin is acting up.


My first step in my basic skin care routine is a cleansing balm, the Boots Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm to be precise. This is a thick balm that I use to breakdown and remove make up and dirt from my skin, this is super gentle but also effective and I find that a balm also replaces some of lost oils from my skin.

I have two face washes that I go to in these desperate skin times. The first face wash of choice for these times is The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Face Wash, this is so gentle that it doesn't irritate my skin but also makes sure my face is left clean but not stripped. This is a night creamy wash that smells lovely. The second skin saviour face wash is the Kaeso Beauty Rebalancing Mallow & Cucumber Cleanser, this is a super gentle and soft lotion cleanser that cleanses the skin without drying it out. I usually just go for whichever one of these is in reach as they're both perfect for sensitive irritated skin.

I never understood the hype with Bioderma so I never gave it a shot but when all these other brands brought out their own versions I tried a few out and fell in love with the Garnier Micellar Water. This is so gentle but removes all those last traces of make up from around my eyes after my usual cleanse, I've actually dispensed this into a strange nail varnish remover bottle I got off eBay after seeing Lily Melrose's post about it here. I find this bottle a lot easier to use as opposed to having to tip the solution onto a cotton pad you can just place the cotton pad over the dispenser top and push down to release the solution, genious!

After having thoroughly cleansed my skin I like to go in with the Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water, I like to spray this onto a cotton pad and then wipe it all across my face and neck. I don't like to go to strong with the toner when my skin is aggrevaited so this is gentle enough to fill in that toner step without stripping my skin and drying it out. I've also tipped some of this into a smaller bottle with a finer mist so that I can carry it around in my bag for a little skin pick me up when I'm out and about.

I then go in with my Balance Active Formula Hyaluronic 554 Youth Serum, I use this nearly every day because it helps keep my skin soft and hydrated; I've also found this serum helps to heal blemishes a hell of a lot faster than usual. I've said this before but this serum is all I hoped Hydraluron would be but for a fraction of the price, I mentioned this in my Things I Couldn't Live Without post here.



Next I go in with Soap & Glory's Dr Spot, this is my go to over the counter spot treatment; it contains saliclyic acid and witch hazel. I only put this directly onto blemishes as I don't want to dry out the whole of my skin, I always make sure the rest of my skin is thoroughly moisturised because this treatment can be a bit drying.

To counteract the dryness in my skin I need a good moisturiser so I go for the Kaeso Beauty  Balm Mint & Cotton Hydrating Moisturiser which is seriously hydrating but light enough not to smother the skin, this little beauty is everything I could ask for in a moisturiser and it smells heavenly. Since finding the Kaeso Beauty in Blush in Loughborough I've come to realise they have a lot of amazing products in the range, they have multiple lines depending on your skin needs which can be mix and matched depending on what you're feeling.

I also think an important part of skincare is face masks, my favourite when my skin is acting up is the Dr Organic Manuka Honey Face Mask which is deep cleaning but also has manuka honey to aid healing. This is so gentle but also antibacterial at the same time, it's also not a mask that sets to a hard tight feel so it's easy to remove without pulling the skin.

The main thing that is important when you're having skin trouble is to fight the problem from the inside, I take a lot of vitamins anyway to help with my Fibromyalgia Syndrome but when my skin is being naughty I pull in the big guns. I up my intake of Evening Primrose Oil and Omega 3 Fish Oil to give my skin some extra nourishing oils and to stop my skin over producing oil to make the skin greasy. I already take Selinium and Folic Acid but these are something I'd suggest taking if you are having trouble with your skin as they can truely help.

Mascaras of the Moment!

I've got seven different mascaras on the go at the moment, I use a different mascara based on the look I'm going for and depending the mood I'm in. I've picked these mascaras up over the past few months and I love pretty much all of them.

The first one I picked up was the L'oreal Volume Million Lashes in extra-black for £10.99 at Boots, this has a plastic wand and an excess wiper which means that you don't get too much product on the wand. This mascara gives you thick fluttery lashes but with a natural look, not too in your face but beautiful fuller lashes. This lasts pretty well too, I work in an extremely hot laboratory and this lasts a good 7-8 hour; there is a little smudging and flaking but not more than usual.

The second and my least favourite is the Rimmel GlamEyes Day2Night in Black for £7.99 again at Boots, this is supposed to be a mascara that can be taken from day to night using the "magic" cap; basically it is one bristle wand with a larger amount of product dispensed for a night time look and a tighter cap to remove product for a more natural day look. This is a good idea but it is executed poorly, the "day" product is excellent but the "night" is awful clumpy mess. The amount of product dispensed for the "night" look is way too much, it would have been better to have a plastic want for this product so that too much product couldn't be harboured in the bristles. The "day" mascara however is an absolute dream, I'm not one for bristle mascara wands but this gives beautiful long separated lashes that look beautiful. It holds a curl well but does cause some flaking throughout the day.


Next I went a little more high end when I picked up Benefit They're Real which comes in at a hefty £19.50, I was expecting this to give me amazing lashes and I'll be honest I was kind of disappointed. Don't get me wrong I Like this mascara, it does give length and volume but it's just a bit meh; I think the formula is just a bit thick which can lead to a clumpy look if you're not careful. I use this mascara mostly for evening looks as I find it's a bit too much for my every day look, I also like to go in with a clean spoolie and separated all the lashes so it's not too clumpy and last well without flaking.

The most budget friendly of the bunch and my go to for daytime is the George Lash Xtend mascara that I picked up for £3.50 as Asda, this has a plastic wand that separates and lengthens lashes beautifully. This is what a day time version of they're real would be, this lasts a whole day and doesn't lose the curl. This mascara is a god send for those days where you want a natural lash but with beautiful longer fuller look.

Another high end mascara is the Lancome Hypnose Drama which you can get in a double set from Boots for £33.00, this is definitely a more extreme look mascara and can be a little difficult to work with at first. It is a bristle brush but it's an S shape with flattened edges which is something I've never seen before. I find I need to wipe of some of the product before I use this as it can dispense a little too much product on the lashes if you're not careful. This lasts really well with minimal smudging/flaking and it holds a curl like nothing else! I definitely wouldn't suggest this for day time use as it is very dramatic.

I picked up the No7 Lash Adapt for £2 on sale at Boots but it's usually £12.99, this has a bristle wand and gives big fluttery lashes; it can be worn for day time or built up for a more dramatic look. It holds a curl very well but is susceptible to smudging and flaking is extreme heat , although to be honest it's not that big of a problem for normal conditions. I thought this was being discontinued but it looks like it's still available online so I'll be grabbing another tube when this runs out.

Lastly I finally got the Clinique Bottom Lash mascara for £13.00 at Boots, this is an amazing product; there's no smudging and flaking that you usually get with mascara on your bottom lashes. Using this really helps to open up the eyes, you don't realise how naked your bottom lashes look without mascara until you try this. The tiny bristle wand helps to really separate he bottom lashes and make them more visible, I don't tend to go right into the roots of my bottom lashes as I find that it causes the mascara to smudge. This may seem expensive for a mascara that you only use on your bottom lashes but you can definitely see a big difference when you use this.

This is my little collection of mascara I'm currently using and loving, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I'm enjoying these mascaras.

Make Up Revolution vs Make Up Academy - Palettes

There has been a big hype recently about Make Up Revolution and that it is the new Make Up Academy, both are budget brands and have pretty similar products; I have three MUA palettes and three Make Up Revolution palettes so I thought I'd do a bit of a comparison of their £4 palettes.

Firstly I'll fill you in on what palettes I have;

MUA
Undressed - 12 neutral shades, 3 mattes and 9 shimmers, 9.6g.
Starry Night - 12 metallic shades, 3 satin and 9 shimmers, 9.6g.
Ever After - 10 shades, all matte, 10g.
Make Up Revolution
Romantic Smoked - 12 shades, 6 mattes and 6 shimmers, 14g
Iconic 2 - 12 shades, 4 mattes and 8 shimmers, 14g
Romantic Smoked - Again because my order got messed up.

Packaging-
I'm not sure why but the Make Up Revolution Packaging just looks nicer than the MUA packaging, I think it's the strips in stead of circles, they remind me more of high end palettes (such as Urban Decay). The rose gold writing on the Make Up Revolution packaging also screams class compared to the silver of the MUA, we all know rose gold is the in thing recently.

Size -
The Make Up Revolution palettes are bigger than the MUA palettes and generally contain more product; the MUA palettes have between 9.6g-10g where the Make Up Revolution palettes have 14g of product. Which going on price per weight makes the Make Up Revolution palettes better value for money.

Selection-
MUA have a more limited collection than Make Up Revolution with their variety of thirteen palettes in the £4 range compared to MUA's 11. The MUA palettes all seem to be variations of the same 12 shades where as Make Up Revolution have covered all the bases.

Shades - 
The MUA palettes tend to have mostly shimmers (except the Ever After palette) which I'm not a fan of, I like to have a more even mixture of mattes and shimmers which is why the Romantic Smoked has to be my favourite of the whole bunch. The Make Up Revolution shades tend to be much more wearable too, they're more flattering shades. I find some of the MUA shades can look cheap and wash me out where as the Make Up revolution shades brighten up the face, however the MUA palettes are lovely for the night out looks when you want to go big or go home.

Fall out -
I'm not going to lie, both of the brands do give fall out but I have high end palettes that cause a world of fall out. I think the main way to reduce fall out is to not pick up too much product, these eye shadows tend to be very soft which causes you to pick up a lot of product on your brush so blowing off some of the product first can also be helpful.

Staying Power-
Both eye shadows have a pretty good staying power for a £4 palette, I need a good eye shadow primer at all times because my lids are an oily mess. I can get about 5-6 hours wear out of both palettes which is only a couple of hours less than I'd get from my high end palettes, which isn't bad considering that they're a good amount cheaper than those palettes.

Overall-
I'd say that Make Up Revolution currently have the market here for eye shadow palettes but I am still in love with my MUA Undressed palettes, they're all excellent palettes and I'm glad I have each and every one of them. For £4 all of these palettes are worth taking a look into especially since they're amazing quality and could give the high end palettes a run for their money!

Ten Things I Couldn't Live Without

There are a few things in this world that I couldn't live without, other than the obvious; these things are items I have with me at all times and/or have back ups of!

Firstly is a good cleansing oil; since I found cleansing oils I've not looked to anything else to remove my make up, nothing else gets make up off as good as a cleansing oil for the first part of a double cleanse. Even I was to only have one cleanser it would have to be a cleansing oil, a good cleansing oil will turn milky when you add water and shouldn't leave an oily residue. I have two current favourites; The Body Shop Chamomile Silky Cleansing Oil and the No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Oil, they're both beautiful and silky soft.

The second item on my could not do without list is not a specific brand or item but just Lip Balm in general, as a girl I'm inclined to have a lip balm with me but I take it to the extreme; I have more lip balms than I can count. I keep a lip balm with me at all times because I get the worst case of chapped lips ever. Lip balm is also super handy if you get split skin around your nails!! I've done a post on my favourite lip balms here.

The third item on this list is Mavala Double-Lash, my eyelashes started falling out when I first got ill and nothing would stop until I found this bad boy! I use this on my lashes and brows and it's seriously helped beef them up. The super secret ingredient in this may put some people off; it's snail secretions (ewwww). As grossed out as I was 4 month in to using this when I actually read the ingredients this stuff really works and I now couldn't be without.

The fourth wonderful item on this list is the Balance Active Formula Hyaluronic 554 Youth Serum which I picked up at TKmax as I was thoroughly unimpressed by Hydraluron Serum and boy was I pleasantly surprised. This is everything I dreamed Hydraluron would be, it leaves the skin plump and hydrated; I use this before my moisturiser every morning and night. I'm so obsessed with this I pick up one every time I see them in a shop because I'm so paranoid I'll run out!

Fifth is the all time holy grail item for the summer heat and the genuine struggle with my oil slick face, this is the MUA Pro-Base Fixing Mist; I use this every day without fail as my make up won't last 2 minutes without it. At first I wasn't a fan because I thought the spray wasn't fine enough but I've now realised that the not-so fine spray is what creates the stay-all-day effect. I always thought fix sprays were a scam but now I've given one a shot I'm definitely hooked.

The sixth bloody awesome product is the Beauty Formulas Radiate & Glow Brightening Facial Mask, this is a sheet mask for 59p that will blow your mind. I also bought one of these after being disappointed by the Hydraluron Sheet Masks; suffice to say that I have not been loving the Hydraluron range, although I do love other Indeed Labs products. This mask leaves my skin looking beautiful and I get so many compliments after using this. I pick this up in bulk whenever I'm in savers as for 59p it is an utter bargain.

The seventh instalment of this list is the Vaseline Spray & Go, I'll be honest I am lazy when it comes to moisturising so this answered all my prayers. It's so easy to spray this on and give it a quick rub in then I'm good to go, it has made moisturising less of a chore for me and saved me all the time/effort of the hassle. Again I thought these were just some fad product that was just a con but after picking one up in a Boots 3 for 2 I fell in love and I haven't looked back since.

Eighth is the iconic Batiste Dry Shampoo, as a greasy haired girl this is a must have; I use this in between washes when my roots need a little refresh. This dry shampoo is the most powerful I've found, I saw a tip about spraying it into the hair and leaving it  good ten minutes before brushing it out; seriously try it. I used to find this left the grey tint to the hair but when you leave it for ten minutes it has more time to absorb so it doesn't leave a grey cast. Serious life saver!

Number nine is a bit of an odd one, I have a bit of a hatred for public toilets so I always have a hand sanitizer with me. I used to have the normal gel hand sanitizer  but since I found the Dr Bronners Organic Fair Trade Hand Sanitizing Spray I've been addicted. This is so much easier to use because it is a spray and it also smells like lavender which is a lot better than the alcohol scent you usually get. This hand sanitizer also doesn't dry out your hands like some others do which is a good thing if you're constantly cleaning your hands like me.




The tenth and final thing on this list is BARRY!!!

Barry is my five year old Horsefield tortoise, I don't think I could ever love anything else as much as I do this little critter! I'd gladly give up the other nine items on this list as long as I had him. He is just the cutest!!

Budget Facial Pads

Pre-soaked skincare pads appear to be all the rage recently so I thought I’d go through my collection of the “drugstore” skincare pads that I have.

The first ones I tried and the most expensive of my collection are the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliation Facial Pads (Why do they give these things such long names, geez), I got these as I wanted something I could use daily in substitute for my Alpha H Liquid Gold that I used twice weekly. As you would guess these contain Glycolic Acid, they also contain Hyaluronic Acid and Blue Daisy; you get 60 of the pads in a pack. I like these because they feel really gentle but are still quite effective, I didn’t really think they had been doing anything until I stopped using them for a few weeks; these leave my skin feeling totally refreshed and because they’re so gentle there’s no sting/tingle. These are £12.99 at Boots but are always on offer (Currently for £8.66).

These Superdrug Deep Action Pore Cleansing Pads are something I picked up when my skin was acting up and I wasn’t at home near my vast supply of lotions and potions, they’re  more abrasive than the others I have as they’ve got manually exfoliating texture on the pads. These contain Salicylic Acid, Witch Hazel and Chamomile; I tend to grab for these when my skin is in full breakdown as they’re pretty strong and get the job done. You get 40 pads in a pack but I can’t seem to find these on the Superdrug website so it could be that they are discontinued.

The most budget friendly pads I’ve come across were a 99p Store find, they’re the Derma Pad(s). I have the Exfoliating Facial Pads and the Anti-Wrinkle Facial Pads, I’ve included them both together as I find they both basically do the same thing; they are a toner stage pad. They have little raised dots on the surface that sort of act as a stimulous for the skin. These aren’t all that effective, I’m basically just using these up so I’m not sure I’d purchase them again.

I also picked up the Clearasil Triple Action Deep Pore Cleansing Pads at Poundland; these are quite similar to the Superdrug version only slightly less abrasive so these are something you could use on a daily basis. You get 65 pads in a pack and I’m assuming these are either discontinued or are an import as I cannot find them on Boots or Superdrug. I actually prefer these to the Superdrug ones because they are less abrasive but still feel as effective.

Finally we have the Clearasil Superfruits Refreshing Pads that I picked up at Boots when they were on offer, you can pick them up for around £4-£5 at and you get 65 pads. These were suggested by Caroline Hirons because of their amazing quality; they contain Salicylic/Citric Acid and various fruit extracts. These have to be my favourite as I feel like I get the acid effect of the Nip + Fab whilst also getting the blemish fighting action from the other pads (Win/Win).

These facial pads have become an important part of my skin care regime and now I’ve tried them I certainly wouldn’t go without. I tend to mix and match these dependent on how my skin is but the Clearasil Superfruits would have to be my suggestion to cover all bases. I’ve not ventured into the high end version of the facial pads because I think they’re seriously over priced for something you use once and throw away.

July Hauling!

I’ve been #FeelingSpendy this month so I thought I’d share a sort of “Haul”, these things were picked up all through July so far and made a huge dent in my bank balance!

First up is the w7 eye shadow palette I picked up off eBay for £5.49 including delivery, these are such good quality eye shadows that are super pigmented and blend easily. Although I don’t own the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette from what I have seen of it I would say this is a definite dupe; but for £30 less! These beautiful “rose gold” shades are a mixture of three mattes, four shimmers and five satin finishes; these are all easily wearable for day, evening and night.

Next are a few more lip crayons to add to my collection, I picked up two of the new Collection Lip Butters and snatched up a set of three Academy of Colour Lip Balm Sticks off eBay. The Collection Lip Butters were on 2 for £5 at Superdrug so I got Perfect Plum and Vintage Rose; these are closer to a lipstick than most lip crayons I’ve tried and I’d probably compare them most to Revlon Lip Butters. They don’t last too well on their own but with a touch of Lipcote over the top they are pure perfection. The set of Academy of Colour crayons were £3.99 including delivery and are more of a sheer lip crayon; there is a pale pink shade, a red shade and my favourite is the pale purple shade which I’d call a sheer version of MAC’s Up the Amp lipstick. These are so creamy soft and can give a sheer wash of colour or can be built up for a more intense look.

I then picked up the Colour Infallible shadow in Poundland, I got two of these but can’t seem to locate the other one! These are the French version and are a matte finish which I actually prefer because they’re easier to wear in the day. I have quite a few of these now and I actually don’t reach for them as much because they are so shimmery so I’m hoping these will be more wearable.

I also quickly picked up some more Soap & Glory Dr Spot as it was 1/3 off; this is my go to spot treatment (other than the Duac prescribed by my doctor) as it is very affective but not too harsh. It does contain AHA’s though so wearing a sunscreen after using this is advised but I tend to wear a high spf everyday anyway.

Natural Collection had their usual 3 for £5 offer on so I took the chance to pick up another couple of their blushes which are my go to day pick; I got Sweet Cheeks and Rosey Glow. These are good for a subtle glow which is what I like for day-to-day use, they last well even in this awful heat. For my third item I picked up one of their eye shadows in Butterscotch; it’s a satin finish pale cream shade which is perfect for an all over base colour..

During a trip to Wilkinsons for some necessities I was browsing the Essence stand and figured for under £4 I had to try out one of their All about Nudes palettes; it has six shades all of which are shimmer. I thought they’d be mediocre quality but these blend and last amazingly. There are two pink shades, a cream shade, two taupe shades and a deep red shade so not your usual “nudes” palette but it works exceptionally well.

I don’t think I can go into a Superdrug  without picking up some new treat from MUA, this month I picked up their Matte Perfect Primer and their Starry Night palette; the primer will probably get a lot of use but the palette is something I think I’d only reach for when I want a specific look. The primer works well; like a toned down version of the POREfessional primer, it leaves you more velvet than matte but will be useful once this summer craziness has calmed down. The palette is full of shimmer blue/grey and pink/purple shades which are something I would mainly reach for on a night out as I tend to go more matte or satin for day and evening looks.

I picked up two face masks this month; one that I love and one that I am unimpressed by. I picked up the Soap & Glory No Clogs Allowed mask which I wanted to love but can’t quite seem to get to grips with; the instructions say to rub the mask in until it turns blue and heats up, I can get it to heat up but no matter what I do the mask stays white! The other is the Sanctuary 5 Minute Thermal Detox mask which is all I hoped the Soap & Glory offering would be, I picked this up after seeing Amelia Liana rave about it and good lord was she right!

After an awful day at work I stopped in at The Cutting Room to pick up the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner and the lovely lady told me if you got two items then you’d also get a choice of three Super Samples free; I was sold! For my second item I picked up the Blush Prodige, I have one of these already and it is my all time favourite blush; I got the shade Miami Pink and I can tell I’ll get a lot of wear out of it and my other shade I picked up 2 years ago and it’s still going strong! The three free Super Samples I got were the HydraQuench cream, the Multi-Active Day cream  and the Extra-Firming Tightening Lift Botanical serum; all of which I am loving.

The final thing I was most excited for was my Make Up Revolution order; I was trying to wait it out until I could swatch things in store but I caved and made a cheeky £20 order last week, it turned up this morning and boy was it worth it. I got the Ultra Blush Palette which has a mixture of blushes, contour and highlight shades all for £6! The shades are beautiful and highly pigmented; my favourite has to be the silver highlight shade. I then got a couple of the Vivid Blush Lacquers in Desire and Rush, these are AMAZING; for £3 you get a super pigmented cream/liquid blush that is so beautiful and leaves a lovely velvet finish that won’t come off until you remove it. Obviously I couldn’t resist getting one of the much hyped palettes so I picked up the Romantic Smoked, a beautiful mix of 6 mattes and 6 shimmers for £4. I’ve not made a look with these yet but I can tell I’ll love them already! The last thing I got from Make Up Revolution was one of their Salvation Intense Lacquers, think Rimmel Apocalips but £3 and more velvet. I got the shade Didn’t I tell you but I’ll be ordering a few more as soon as possible! I’d highly suggest making an order as delivery is only £2.95 and it’s super speedy.

Acne Tips and Tricks

We all get the odd blemish now and again but full blown acne is a whole world of it's own, I suffered (and still suffer) with acne quite badly so I'm sharing these tips in the hopes they might help even one person.

The first real tip I can give to anyone suffering with acne is to give up dairy products, why are you eating/drinking the breast milk of another species anyway; just try giving up dairy for one month and I promise you will notice a difference. I first heard of this whilst working on my final year project at university, my project was on the use of essential oils to treat acne and part of that was to research into the cause of acne which led me to the best piece of knowledge I've come across.

The other magical tip I have is the double cleanse, if you're willing to lather rinse repeat with your hair then why not for your face? I like going in with a cleansing oil and then following with a creamy cleanser, I think that using an oil is also vital for breaking up and removing make up. A lot of people with acne think that an oil cleanser will make things worse but it's quite the opposite, the oil really helps to keep the skin clean without stripping it.


Supplements are also key to keeping the skin acne free, Omega oils are probably the most important as skin often produces more oil when it is lacking.Other supplements I'd suggest are selenium, folic acid and vitamin E. Taking these regularly help a lot with the skin and they're not too expensive if you shop around.



The one big thing I would say is to speak to your GP about it and see when they can do to help, taking a topical prescription treatment can really bring the big guns to the game. Other "drugstore" topical treatments that I've found to help are Soap & Glory - Dr Spot and La Roche Posay Effeclar Duo +. Some spot treatments can leave the skin dry and dehydrated so keeping it moisturised is important, dry skin can also lead to spots so it's vital to find the balance.


Making sure you steer clear of any junk food and keep to  healthy diet is also important as it helps rid toxins from the body, ensuring you get enough water is critical as well. Drinking lots of water is excellent for the suppleness of the skin and also ensures that the skin is regularly hydrated.

The big advice you get given but can never stick to; don't pick! If you do need to pick at a spot I'd suggest using an extractor, these can be picked up on eBay and  because they apply even pressure to the skin they reduce scarring.

The next tip I shall bestow upon you is facial masks, they don't need to be applied all over the skin and can instead just be applied to the areas that require a little maintenance. I like to have a variety of masks and I find clay masks to be my favourite. They really help to dry out any under the skin cysts that tend to creep up on you, we all hate those little blighters. Some of my favourite masks are Soap & Glory "The Fab Pore", The Body Shop "Blue Corn Mask" and the Kaeso Deep Cleansing Mask.

Another helpful thing to do is to wash your make up brushes and pillowcases regularly, also try to keep your phone clean (I use hand sanitizer spray for this), as bacteria on surfaces can be spread to the skin and cause problems. This also counts for your hands; keep them clean and try not to touch your face too much.

Make Up Brushes 101

Make up brushes are key to getting that perfect finish for your make up, I don't spend a huge amount on brushes as I'm more of a budget girl; so I thought I'd give you the run down of my make up brush collection.

The first honourable mention obviously goes to Real Techniques, the Chapman Sisters definitely got this right. There are a multitude of brushes to "collect" from sets to individual brushes, they are amazing quality and are seriously affordable. I have the core collection (minus the contour brush that I lost, devastated), the starter set, the expert face brush, the blush brush, the kabuki brush and the powder brush. These are my go to brushes for day-to-day use as they give me the most natural look with the perfect finish.

The So Eco set are my second in commands, they are so soft and beautifully made. I got this set at Tesco when it was on offer but it can now be found on Fragrance Direct; the set contains a finishing brush, a blush brush, a foundation brush and an eye shading brush. The eye shading brush I'm not a fan of but the rest are sheer perfection. These brushes an be picked up for around £15 so they're more mid scale price.

The last set are my eBay bargains, these are a set of 10 brushes that are pretty good quality for the price; I wouldn't use them for foundation application but for blush/powder they're a dream. These are definitely one I'd suggest for beginners and people on a tight budget, you can pick them up through various sellers on eBay but the ones I got were from here.

I like to keep my brushes in separate containers so I can find them easier and I picked mine up for around £2 at various places but any old tin will do! To keep my brushes super clean I like to wash them every 1-2 uses with Dr Bronners Magic 18-in-1 Soap, you can pick this up everywhere in so many different scents but the lavender has to be my favourite! You can pick the lavender scented one here.